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© 1995 International Society for Behavioral Ecology

research-article

The effect of group size manipulations on the foraging behavior of black-tailed prairie dogs

S. Dean Kildaw

Department of Zoology, University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada S. D. Kildaw is now at the Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-0180, USA.

ABSTRACT

Individuals foraging in large groups are thought to benefit because they are better able to detect and avoid predators. As a consequence, individuals in groups can adopt more risky, but rewarding, foraging behaviors without exposing themselves to excessive danger. I experimentally manipulated the size of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) groups to determine if individuals in large groups do forage in a more risky manner. I found that prairie dogs foraged more alertly and in less risky locations (nearer to burrows, nearer to the center of the group, and in shorter vegetation) when group size was reduced. Effects of group-size reductions were reversed when removed individuals were replaced, and persisted for at least three weeks in experiments where group size was permanently reduced. My results provide evidence that the relationships between group size and both alertness and risk-place foraging are causal.

Key words: black-tailed prairie dog, Cynomys ludovicianus, foraging behavior, group living, group size, risk of predation. [Behav Ecol 6: 353–358 (1995)].


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